Loom stop motion



May 20, 1969 BUDZY ET AL 3,444,904

LOOM STOP MOTION Filed Sept. 22, 1967 1 N V E N T 0 12 JOSEPH M. BUDZYNA Rocco H.MUCCU=\KONE ATTORNEY United States Patent LOOM STOP MOTION Joseph M. Budzyna, East Douglas, and Rocco H. Mucciarone, Franklin, Mass., assignors, by mesne assignments, to John Donald Marshall and Horace L. Bomar as Trustees of the Carolina Patent Development Trust Filed Sept. 22, 1967, Ser. No. 669,792 Int. Cl. D03d 51/36 US. Cl. 139-376 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A stop motion for looms of the center fork type having means for temporarily holding the feeler tines of the center fork in a fixed position during the intial movement of the looms lay from its extreme forward position, thereby preventing premature pivoting of said center fork and the damaging interference thereof with filling yarns and the fabric being formed by the loom.

Background of the invention The invention relates to looms for weaving and more particularly to an improved center fork stop motion for such looms.

Stop motions of the center fork type have been successfully used for many years in looms producing plain weave fabrics with filling formed from natural fibers.

Stopping a loom by the center fork method is far more desirable than other forms of filling stop motions for on an indication of a broken pick the loom is stopped on that pick, or in other words before the lay has reached the beat-up position. By stopping the loom in this manner, the faulty pick is easily replaced and normal weaving resumed without letting back on the fabric and creating a visual bar defect across the width of the fabric when said loom is again started.

Trials of the center fork stopping mechanism have been conducted on looms weaving terry cloth and synthetic yarns such as rayon with very limited success. Present day looms are designed to run at much greater speeds and being of heavier construction tremendous forces of inertia are created as the lay beam swings to and fro during the performance of its intended function. On the initial movement of the lay away from front center, these forces cause the times to swing upwardly to the extent of striking the newly formed fabric. In the case of synthetic yarns the tines strike the fabric with sufiicient force to leave marks which will not permit said fabric to be graded as first quality.

As is well known to those conversant with the weaving art, the weaving of terry cloth requires two warp beams with one of said beams letting off its warp threads more rapidly than the other for forming the so-called terry loops or pile. With a common form of terry cloth formation, a full beat up occurs at every third pick with only partial beat ups on the first and second picks. With the pile yarns letting off more rapidly than the yarns from the beam which form the so-called ground weave, control of the center fork is very important for premature upward movement of the tines will result in interference with said pile yarns. Trials of center fork with a terry weave has shown that such interference is severe enough to cause the tines to hook onto and tear out the pile loops as well as the first and second picks which have not been fully forced into beat-up position.

The device according to the instant invention provides a means for temporarily holding the feeler tines of the center fork in a fixed position during the intial movement of the lay away from its front center position. After the lay has moved a predetermined distance which is sufficient to prevent an interference of the tines with the fabric, said tines are released and caused to pivot in their normal manner.

Summary of the invention In the center fork stop motion according to the present invention, the feeler tines are held in a conventional cylindrical holder element which is supported for pivotal movement in a bracket by means of a so-called crank arm. One end of this crank arm is adapted to be engaged by the center fork cam that is caused to reciprocate with a rod member that is mechanically linked to the mechanism for stopping a loom. Reciprocation of the center fork cam and the cooperating spring elements associated with the crank arm are effective in pivoting the center fork tines in timed relation with the swinging movement of the looms lay.

The cylindrical holder which supports the feeler tines is provided on the lower side thereof with a stop bar or second tine member which has a cross sectional configuration like that of the feeler tines but considerably shorter in length. This stop bar is fixed for pivotal movement with the holder element and being oppositely disposed relative to the feeler tines it extends in a plane parallel therewith.

The upper and inner surface of the enter fork cam includes an integrally formed boss which is adapted to cooperate with the stop bar by overlying it when said cam is at its extreme inner position. In this position the boss holds the stop bar in its lowermost position and prevents the feeler tines from swinging upwardly on the initial movement of the lay away from front center. As the center fork cam moves toward its opposite position, the stop bar is cleared and the feeler tines are raised in the conventional manner by the crank arm.

Brie] description of the drawing FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the center fork, its supporting bracket and the reciprocating cam member for raising the feeler tines; and

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 but with a portion of the supporting bracket cut away to show the means for temporarily holding the feeler tines in a fixed position.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring now to the figures of drawing wherein only as much of a conventional loom structure is depicted as is necessary for a complete understanding of the invention, there is shown a lay beam 10, a raceway 11 forming the upper surface thereof and a recess or so-called center fork well 12 disposed intermediate the end of said lay.

A center fork generally indicated by numeral 13 is supported for pivotal movement by a crank arm 14 in a center fork bracket 15. The center fork includes a cylindrical holder element 16 (FIG. 2) and filling feeler tines 17 fixed to the upper surface thereof by means of screws 18. The feeler tines are arranged to extend in a plane normal with the axis of the cylindrical holder element 16 and as is well known to those familiar with the weaving art these tines are caused to pivot in timed relation to the swinging of the lay during the performance of their intended function.

The lower end of the center fork bracket 15 terminates in a depending hub 19 which is adapted to support a reciprocating knock-off rod 20. The knock-01f rod is disposed in a horizontal plane and has a center fork cam 21 fixed thereon by means of set screws 22. This cam is caused to reciprocate with the knock-off rod 20 and with one end of the crank arm 14 being in contact with the upper camming surface thereof the feeler tines are pivoted 3 upwardly as said cams move away from the center fork bracket 15. When the cam reverses its direction of travel the tines are pivoted downwardly by means of a clock type spring 23 which is attached to the other end of the crank arm 14.

The cylindrical holder element 1 6 of the center fork is provided in addition to the feeler tines 17 with a stop bar or second tine 24 (FIG. 2) that is oppositely disposed from said tines 17 and being attached in a similar manner (not shown) it extends in a plane parallel therewith.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper and inner end of the center fork cam 21 is provided with an integrally formed boss 25 and is so disposed as to define a recess 26 beneath it. The inner end of the center fork cam is that end shown on the right in FIG. 2 which is adapted to be moved into close proximity with the center fork bracket 15.

In operation, the center fork cam is caused to reciprocate with the knock-off rod 20 and as said cam moves in the direction of the indicating arrow 27 in FIG. 1, the feeler tines are pivoted upwardly by the action of said cam on the crank arm 14. As the cam moves in the direction of the indicating arrow 28 in FIG. 2, the action of spring 23 pivots the feeler tines downwardly. When the cam is at its extreme inner position as shown in FIGS. 2, the lay beam is at front center and the boss 25 overlies the second tine 24 and prevents any upward movement of the feeler tines on the initial movement of said lay away from this position. The feeler tines are free to pivot upwardly in the regular manner as soon as the cam has moved a sufficient distance for the boss 25 to clear the second tine 24.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number of ways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to embrace all variations and 4 modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.

We claim:

1. In a center fork stop motion for looms having a lay, a center fork with filling feeler tines forming a part thereof and a supporting bracket on which said center fork is pivoted, a cam member adapted to reciprocate in timed relation with the movement of said lay and engageable with a crank member carried by said center fork which oscillates the latter between shuttle clearing and filling sensing positions, means for temporarily holding said center fork in a fixed location at its lowermost position to prevent premature pivoting thereof during the initial movement of said lay away from its extreme forward position which comprises a locking arrangement adjacent and interengaging the inner end of said cam and center fork.

2. The center for stop motion according to claim 1 wherein said means includes a tine element fixedly attached to the underside of said center fork and which extends in a plane normal to the axis thereof.

3. The center fork stop motion according to claim 1 wherein said means further includes an integrally formed boss carried on the upper and inner end of said cam which is adapted to overlie said tine at one of said cams extreme positions and to free said center fork for pivoting movement as it moves with said cam away from said extreme position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,378,240 6/ 1945 Nichols 139-376 3,066,705 12/ 1962 Flamand 1393 74 FOREIGN PATENTS 506,181 5/1939 Great Britain. 769,112 2/ 1957 Great Britain.

JAMES KEE CHI, Primary Examiner. 

